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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26000527">forever may not be long enough</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/empirestrikesben/pseuds/empirestrikesben'>empirestrikesben</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Mummy Returns (2001)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - The Mummy Fusion, Archaeology, Cute Kids, F/M, The Mummy Returns - Freeform, dad ben solo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:14:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,201</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26000527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/empirestrikesben/pseuds/empirestrikesben</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's our fault," Rey whispers through tears.<br/>"We'll get him back," Ben says. “If it's the very last thing I ever do, I'll get him back.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Let's Go to the Movies - Reylo Readers &amp; Writers Prompt Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>forever may not be long enough</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Himilce/gifts">Himilce</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His son. </p><p>They’ve taken his son. </p><p>Ben returns to the double-decker bus, parked askew in the middle of the street, empty-handed and defeated. He can't bear to look at his wife and see his failure written all over her features. </p><p>"It's our fault," Rey whispers through tears. </p><p>"We will get him back," Ben says. “I will. If it's the very last thing I ever do, I'll get him back.”</p><hr/><p>Egypt is hot, unbearably so. They travel across the wide expanse of desert for what feels like eons, but he knows must only be days. Burdened by the weight of their heavy packs, and poisonous guilt. </p><p>It’s their fault — <em> his </em>fault, he knows it. </p><p>When Tai was a baby, a toddler even, they’d both been so attentive, setting aside the treasure hunts and the archaeological studies, and focusing one hundred percent on giving him the most normal childhood they could. </p><p>But he was <em>their</em> son for Christsake, and he had that same hunger for adventure that they did. </p><p>It became easier to tell themselves that he was older now, he could handle it, that they weren’t doing anything so dangerous that he couldn’t tag along for the ride. Finn would be there to watch all their backs if they got into serious trouble. </p><p>Now, Ben realized how foolish it had all been. </p><p>Of course at barely ten years old he was still too young for this life. Isn’t that what Ben had thought himself growing up and being dragged from museum to dig site all across the planet? That it would be so much easier to just be nobody, with no notable heritage to speak of. </p><p>Save him all the trouble of this legacy. </p><p>Just one big win, the score of his lifetime, had made him forget it all. And now, his own son was paying for it. </p><p>“I can practically hear your thoughts, guys,” Finn says over the campfire one night, looking between him and Rey seated several feet further apart than usual. </p><p>They glance up at each other briefly, and Ben sees the hurt and guilt reflected back in Rey’s own eyes. </p><p>“We’ll find him,” says Finn, his kind, reassuring smile glowing with confidence. Ben wishes more than anything that he believed him. </p><hr/><p>Finn, of course, was right. </p><p>After calling in a favor from his old friend Poe, who flew them hundreds of miles across the desert in a plane Rey described as a <em> flying piece of garbage</em>, they arrive at Ahm Shere. </p><p>In the grand archway of the city so shortly ago buried under sand and rubble, stands the small figure of his son. </p><p>The captors were busying themselves with other preparations around the site, and Ben sees his opening. Quickly, he turns back to Rey and Finn. </p><p>“You two have to go get the book of the dead, and stop them from resurrecting Imhotep,” he says. </p><p>“And what are you going to do?” Rey asks in the most words she’s spoken to him in days, her expression suddenly full of fear not just for their son, but for him too. </p><p>“I told you, I’m going to get him back,” Ben says, stepping close to her.</p><p>For the first time in days he lets himself admire her warm hazel eyes, and soft rosy cheeks. Tai so much resembles her, like the perfect combination of the two of them, tucked into one tiny, energetic boy. </p><p>“I don’t want it to be the last thing you do,” Rey says, quoting his words from the day Tai was captured. “So <em>both</em> of you better come back to me.”</p><p>With that, Ben’s eyes fall shut as Rey leans in and presses a soft, firm kiss against his lips. </p><p>“I’ll come back. I promise,” he mumbles against her lips. </p><p>It pains him, but he lets her go then, and she slips out of his arms and scurries off into the distance towards the temple. </p><p>Ben turns back to the enormous archway, their son still trapped in ropes beneath it. As he makes his way towards him, creeping silently across the sand, he spots the glint of gold still wrapped around Tai’s wrist. </p><p>He’ll have to get it off before the sun rises. He doesn’t want to think about what will happen if he fails. </p><p>Finally, he reaches Tai, managing to sneak through the guards, who are far more preoccupied with the impending resurrection of an Egyptian king than with a small ten year old boy, without firing a shot. </p><p>Tai though, sees him. A smile breaks on his face and he opens his mouth to exclaim “<em>Dad!” </em> but Ben manages to just cover his mouth in time before he gives away their position. </p><p>“<em>Shhh</em>,” he whispers, and slowly removes his hand from Tai’s mouth. “We have to get you out of here, buddy. Before the sun comes up.”</p><p>“Okay dad,” he nods. </p><p>Ben quickly un-knots the ropes, shooting furtive glances over his shoulder to ensure they aren’t spotted, until finally Tai is loose. </p><p>That’s when Ben spots it. </p><p>The sun, peeking just above the horizon in front of him. </p><p>There’s no time left, as he picks Tai up into his arms and runs as fast as he can towards the temple — the only source of shade in the desert. He hears shouting behind him, and gets one hand out to fire his gun behind him wildly, not stopping to check if it strikes true. The fact that no one overtakes them leads him to assume that it does. </p><p>He can see his vision growing lighter and knows the sun is creeping steadily along, and he picks up speed, clutching Tai close to his chest, hoping that maybe his own shadow will protect his son. </p><p>Ben’s lungs fry and he can taste blood at the back of his throat, but he continues to race across the sand. </p><p>The sun laps at his heels as he finally sprints underneath the doorway of the temple and crashes to the sand below. </p><p>He knows he’s succeeded because he still feels the warm bundle of his son in his arms, instead of the dust and ash he would’ve turned to, and Ben breathes a sigh of relief. </p><p>“Wow,” Tai whispers, his eyes full of wonder staring up at him. “I didn’t know you could run that fast, dad.”</p><p>Ben, for the first time in days, smiles. </p><p>“Me neither, buddy.”</p><p>The sound of metal clinking draws their attention to the gold, scorpion-looking bracelet around his arm as it snaps open and falls off into the sand. Tai picks it up and tosses it across the room. </p><p>“I will <em> never </em> touch another artifact <em> ever </em>again,” he says dramatically, and Ben laughs. In a way, he hopes it’s true. </p><p>“Sounds like a plan, little man,” he says. </p><p>With only a dash of fear touching his face, Tai leans forward and wraps his arms around him. Ben's heart shatters a little as he gathers his son into a close embrace, hugging him tight to his chest, and rubbing comforting circles over his back. </p><p>They were together again, and soon, Rey would be with them as well. </p><p>Ben wasn’t going to let either of them out of his sight for a long, long time. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My bad movie opinion of the day - I like the Mummy Returns just as much as I love The Mummy. </p><p>If you liked it drop a kudos, and come hang out on <a href="https://twitter.com/empirestriksben">twitter</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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